SILVER is an ambient rock band formed with the very intention of creating original music. The ethereal melodies and resonant tone combined with haunting and inspired performances make for a heady listening experience. A fun mix of musicians here to burn a mark on the Indian Rock Scene…Highly influenced by Funk, Blues, Jazz n good old Rock, we bring you a sound that is distinctly, well, S.I.L.V.E.R

SILVER comprises of:
Mahesh - vocals
Savio - Guitars and vocals
Rishi - Bass, vocals
Amit - Drums

They won the National winners of Yamaha Roxx 2008, represented India in Taiwan at the Asian Beat 2008 and enthralled audiences at JRO 2008 (Chennai).

Q: After watching one of your gigs, I have turned over to the silver side and am a big fan of yours! I’d like to know how the band came to be. Who came up with the idea to set up a band like Silver? And the inspiration behind the name?

Thanks Rahul, appreciate it .Silver was formed with the idea of creating original music. Rishi the bass player after having played with several bands like Cyanide Angels(Kolkotta), Karnage(Darjeeling), Legacy and Mountain Mirror(Pune) was desperately in search of versatile musicians to form an experimental band. As fate would have it while jamming one evening with his good `ol pal Randhir from DrummingWorld, where he met Savio, the guitar player who happened to be Sanjay Joseph`s cousin(Ezee Meat). After an extensive jam session Rishi knew that the search for a guitar player was over. Thus began a series of experiments in spontaneous composing that resulted in a compelling collection of strange and darkly beautiful soundscapes… to complete the lineup the search for a likeminded vocalist and a drummer began. Very soon Savio`s longtime friend Amit, a committed Tool fan who too shared the love for odd time signatures and funky beats was introduced as the drummer. The trio started their free improvisational jams. Finally Rishi through his bro, Diwash(C.A.T.W) met Mahesh, an aspiring vocalist from Gangtok who too was in search of an experimental band. Thus Silver was formed. After the lineup was complete we were in the process of naming our band… lotsa crazy names came to our mind. Finally Savio confessed the very fact that eversince his schooldays he had dreamt of being in a band titled Silver - we liked the name very much - And yeah touchwood the name has been very lucky for us indeed - Amen!

Q: When did you guys first jam? Did you guys start off with the same lineup or have you chopped and changed?

We started jamming last year sometime in the month of September 2007. I guess it was for the mega competition Rockillution. The line up is still the same - Godspeed!

Q: When I hear the name Silver, the first thing that comes to my mind is your tour of Taiwan, which brings me to the next question. How was the whole experience, to feature and compete alongside top bands from all over Asia? A feat rarely achieved by Indian bands.

Praise the Lord! I should say that we are very lucky indeed to have achieved this rare feat within 6 months of formation as a band. It was truly the most memorable and exhilarating experiences of our lives. Sharing the stage with these brilliant bands from Asia many from Taiwan, Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Hongkong, Japan and Mongolia was simply a mind blowing adventure, one that is never to be forgotten. There was even a guest band from Mexico. All these bands were very friendly. We exchanged a lot of ideas regarding music, food and culture. After the competition was over Nathan East (Eric Clapton, Fourplay) and Patty Ballinas joined us in our farewell party. We were treated with lip-smacking food like octopus, oyster, crab, duck`s head & knees, shrimp, raw fish, Fo Tiao Chiaung(a stew of shark fin, scallops, abalone, mushrooms, chestnuts, taro, and pork) Fried prawns, fermented pork, Japanese cuisine, sushi, vinegared rice topped with other ingredients including fish etc, etc… Unforgettable experience - LOL!

Q: Any tour abroad must be a highpoint for any band. What were the mentality of the bands that competed? What were the positives you took from the tour?

The bands that participated from all over these Asian regions were extremely friendly and cheerful in nature. We were totally exposed to a whole new scenario of beautiful music and culture. The positive that we took from this tour was the essence of discipline.

Q: How would you define your music? Do you have any artist/band you guys look up to and say “thats the kind of stuff we should make”?

Silver is basically an ambient hard rock band formed with the very intention of creating original music. Though we have various influences ranging from progressive metal, blues, funk, jazz and good old rock we`ve tried to be original as much we can. Moreover after playing in the international arena, what we`ve realized as a band is that the world already has one Metallica, Dream Theater, Trivum, Slipknot… what the world requires is a fresh new sound in the form of Silver.

Q: How would you best describe a Silver gig? What are we to expect at a Silver gig?

Our gigs can can best be described as highly explosive. The ethereal melodies and resonant tones combined with haunting and inspired performances make for a heady listening experience too. Our setlist is filled with pure unadulterated Silver OCs. “Give us a stage and we`ll blow you away” has always been our motto - cheerzz!

Q: What music/artists do you listen to when you are not playing your own?

We listen to whole lotta stuff which includes bands like Rush, Extreme, Tool, Black Sabbath, Yes, Planet X, Miles Davis, Buddy Rich, Van Halen, Tower of Power, Bela Fleck and the flecktones, Death, Robben Ford, Iron Maiden, Lee Ritenour, Weather Report, Greg Howe and many more. The list goes on.

Q: Now that there isn’t a shortage of bands in our music scene, it would be safe to ask you which are some of your favourite Indian bands at the moment?

Some of our favourite Indian bands are Pink Noise, Thermal and a Quarter, Mother Jane, Junkyard Groove, Colour Blind, Third Sovereign, Parikrama, Crystal and the Witches, Millenium, Cadenza.

Q: What has been your biggest challenge as a band since its inception?

I guess balancing work and music has been the greatest challenge for the band. Since some of us in the band do nightshift`s to take care of the daily bread and butter it makes things much more challenging. Moreover we have to travel around 30 kms (one way) to reach our drummers house where we usually jam - exhausting indeed. We basically make it a point to inspire each other in the band to get the Silver engine running with full force. I guess that`s what makes our band stronger.

Q: What is one of the most bizarre, or funny story you have witnessed/been a part of while on tour/gig.

Hmmm lemme think… too many man… way too many.

Q: How do you feel about the Indian underground music scene today? Do you think that there are still dark horizons that lay undiscovered?

We certainly feel that the Indian underground music scene is becoming better day by day. The very fact that our Indian audience has become more receptive to original tunes rather than covers means that half the battle is won. After playing a gig in Taiwan we realized that we Indian bands can certainly stand out in the international scenario provided we play convincing and infectious originals with a unique presentation.

Q: What are your rehearsals generally like? Do you have a set time each week in which you practice or are rehearsals more spontaneous? And how do you guys balance it with all your other activities?

Most of the upcoming bands face the time management problem. We basically rehearse for 3 days in a week… Yeah most often we plan our rehearsals in advance depending upon our hectic schedules. As said earlier balancing work and music has been the greatest challenge, but I guess it`s all about having the will power to reach the practice room and simply have a blast.

Q: What would be Silver’s ultimate bass/guitar/drum set to own? Everyone has dreams, why not share it with us!

Hmm interesting indeed! Silver would love to own a 6 string Warwick Streamer Dual Humbucker Bass American Standard Fender Telecaster with analog pedals, Yamaha drums and Shure SM58 Dynamic Handheld Microphone some fine day…

Q: One of the most impressive thing about Silver is that when you guys play, you have an all originals setlist, so shouldn’t we be expecting an album or an EP atleast?

Yeah we`re working on a full fledged album material. If things work out peacefully you can expect an album by this year end.

Q: Thanks for your time ! If you have anything to say to our readers, feel free to use the next few lines!

Hey Rahul thanks a lot for compiling such a well chalked out set of questions. Appreciate it bro… We’d also like to thank all our fans for all the great support that they have shown us from day one. It is indeed a gr8 feeling when they sing our tracks at our gigs. That`s our greatest reward everytime we climb up the stage. Groove on forevermore guyzzz and yeah give life to your dreams no matter what.

Listen to our track`s @ http://www.myspace.com/silverabandfrompune

Catch y’all the next Silver gig - Peace!

Share this article

 Loading ...

Rahul Ramesh is an engineering student, who can't live without his daily dose of metal! His influences are Lamb Of God ,Megadeth ,Death ,Exhumation and Kryptos. He plays the guitar and is the lead guitarist for his band. His dream is to one day see an event like Wacken/Woodstock in the MMRDA grounds by Indian bands only !